Members of the Hough Community Land Trust welcome redevelopment in this East Side neighborhood, but only on residents’ terms.

Formed in 2018, the land trust held its first community meeting last week to get residents’ input as the nonprofit organization develops a strategic plan aimed at helping to shape development in the neighborhood.  A community land trust acquires land with the intention of collectively benefitting the community. Some develop the land, often for affordable housing. Others rent their land to developers using renewable long-term leases, which usually last 99 years. 

“We’re working to safeguard the existing land and property that we do have and prepare for future development that benefits the community first,” said Chi Onyeukwu, a member of the Hough land trust board of directors. “When I think about the value and potential of this community, I always think that we have to work collectively and actively to ensure that we aren’t displaced and that we have a say in what’s going on around us.”

Since its founding, the land trust has done such things as taking inventory of vacant land and buildings and securing parcels for development from the Cuyahoga Land Bank. For example, apartments were built on some of the former land bank parcels owned by the land trust. The developer owns the apartments, but the land trust owns the land. The organization receives $25,000 a year from the ground lease, according to the land trust.

The Hough Community Land Trust (HCLT) is one of a few in the area. The Near West Land Trust is focused on creating affordable housing, including in the Ohio City, Tremont and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods. Because community land trusts often focus on keeping neighborhoods affordable, housing advocates, including Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, believe more should be created in Greater Cleveland.

A desirable location and lots of vacant land 

The nonprofit HCLT is ready to ramp-up its work as Hough appears poised to become one of Cleveland’s redevelopment hot spots. The neighborhood is desirable because of amenities such as the historic League Park and Baseball Heritage Museum. Hough is fortuitously located a short drive from downtown and borders University Circle, where developable land is scarce. Hough has many land bank-owned parcels and structures and other vacant land and buildings. Ironically, they are often the result of decades of disinvestment. Sometimes this dates back to the 1966 Hough uprising, and some of it comes from the foreclosure crisis of the early 2000s.

Hough also has a legacy of redevelopment that sprang up organically. In the 1990s, building a home in Cleveland was still considered an oddity. This was especially true in East Side neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, such as Hough. More than three decades ago, members of Greater Cleveland’s Black middle class began building homes there. Many were custom homes that rivaled those in high-end suburban subdivisions. 

In 1990, Carolyn Watts Allen, secretary of HCLT’s board, and her husband, Robert Allen, pulled together 20 people who wanted to build market-rate homes in Hough. Watts Allen, who served as safety director under Mayor Michael R. White, said this was possible because his administration offered incentives such as tax abatements and administrative development tools to help people who wanted to build.

When she addressed residents during the meeting at the Fatima Family Center on Lexington Avenue last week, Watts Allen spoke of many Hough residents’ desire for self-determination.

“People just can’t come in here and decide that they want to build anything they feel like building … and not give back to the community,” she said. “If a developer intends to make a profit, he should give something back to the people who live in the community.”

She later said this can include rent from land owned by the HCLT, which can be used to help the organization carry out its work. It also includes ensuring that some of the new housing, whether rental or for sale, includes affordable options.

Some see a community land trust as vital to keeping some Cleveland neighborhoods affordable

HCLT is working to “acquire and preserve land so it remains in community hands for affordable housing, local businesses and community benefit,” according to a flyer passed out during the meeting. Having a strategic plan is key to carrying out the nonprofit’s work, said Diana Rosa, CEO of Rosa Consulting, which is working with HCLT to develop a three- to five-year plan.

But something essential had to happen first. 

“There is no way that we were going to move forward without hearing the voices of the community,” she said, adding that the strategic plan should be completed by December. 

The meeting offered the opportunity to hear those voices. The more than 40 attendees broke into groups. They were asked their opinions about what they believe are the most important housing and land-related challenges facing Hough that HCLT should tackle. They were asked how HCLT could best ensure that its work reflects the “voices, needs and priorities of long-standing residents.”

Attendees were also asked whether they were willing to get involved. This included serving as a board member, on the land trust’s community advisory committee, being part of a focus group or agreeing to an individual interview conducted by Rosa Consulting. All of these efforts are designed to ensure that HCLT’s vision reflects the wishes of Hough residents, Rosa said.

Information for residents interested in being part of an individual interview or focus group or serving on the advisory committee or board  can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/4gnvKuS

Residents who didn’t attend the meeting but would like to offer their views about HCLT should address development in Hough may do so here: https://bit.ly/HCLTfeedback

Hough residents don’t want development in the neighborhood to leave them out 

During the breakout sessions, residents often raised concerns about increased development making Hough less affordable for longtime residents.

Mike Seals said many in his group feared increased development would raise their property taxes. They don’t want the city to approve developments without including a condition that developers contribute money to help offset higher property taxes. He said this could be done through a community benefits agreement,a legally binding contract between a developer and community stakeholders. 

Development projects bring jobs, whether temporary or permanent, and many attendees want to make sure Hough residents aren’t left out.

“We’ve got a lot of projects going on as we speak,” Seals said. “When we ride past those projects, we don’t see anybody looking like us working.”

Rashawnda Robinson said she wants to see the owners of vacant lots and buildings take care of them. She said a lot near her house has become the site of illegal dumping. She wishes it could be transformed into a tranquil green space that her family and neighbors could enjoy.

Robinson sees HCLT as an organization that can assist Hough residents in realizing that they are not powerless. She sees the nonprofit as helping residents address problematic vacant land and buildings and informing homeowners about city and other programs that can assist them with repairs and other matters. Most of all, she said HCLT can help residents see that they can have a say about development in their community.

“There is power in residents coming together and making demands,” she said.